Article excerpt

LANSDOWNE -- It was a serendipitous meeting that could prove to
be a turning point for Antoine and Kenosha Skinner and their
fledgling spice company.

At the very least, it was a cool encounter for two small-
business novices trying to make a name for their Momma Vi's all-
natural, gluten-free, free-of-iodized-salt, hand-blended seasonings.

On Tuesday, the Lansdowne couple was in the communal kitchen at
the Center for Culinary Enterprises in West Philadelphia, where they
pay to use commercial cooking facilities.

They were sterilizing Mason jars and preparing to mix a batch of
one of their flavor-packed creations when "Top Chef" champ Kevin
Sbraga, owner/operator of Sbraga on South Broad Street, walked
through on a tour.

Introductions were made, and soon Antoine Skinner was pouring
tiny samples of his line into a hand Mr. Sbraga had eagerly
extended.

"Mmmmmm. That's really good," the chef said after tasting a
concoction the Skinners call Northern BBQ Rub and Seasoning.

The chef asked for the Skinners' business card and about their
target market.

"Anybody who has money," Mr. Skinner said, laughing.

Perhaps as valuable was this review Mr. Sbraga offered in a quick
interview before he moved on: "Some of the things I tasted today are
going to inspire me."

And then the Skinners, who seemed amazingly unrattled by the
spontaneous business pitch they had just given, turned back to the
task at hand -- a bowl of garlic, thyme, black pepper, crushed red
pepper, cumin seed, sugar, and a dash of Himalayan pink salt that
retails as Hot Island Jerk Seasoning.

For Mr. Skinner, a former West Virginia University tight end and
banker, and his wife of eight years who has sidelined a career in
forensic medicine to devote herself to the spice business, it is an
entrepreneurial pursuit born of health concerns -- his in
particular.